Medical Examiner: Murder victim suffocated

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 5:20 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 7:05 p.m.

A man who reportedly was assaulted by his roommate at a mental health facility late last week died of suffocation, the Medical Examiner's Office has ruled.

The incident occurred Friday at The Vines Hospital at 3130 SW 27th Ave. in Ocala. Christopher J. Love, 63, has been charged with second-degree murder and sexual battery.

Ramon Sanchez, 75, and Love were roommates at the facility. Staffers at The Vines told police that, when they did a room check, they found Love on top of a mattress on the floor. Sanchez was underneath the mattress, face down on the floor. Love told police he had sex with the victim and hurt him, according to reports.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration is looking into the case.

"We would look at systems in general. We would specifically review the systems in place for managing difficult behaviors as well as supervision, patient assessment, staff training, administrative oversight and implementation of appropriate interventions as necessary," stated a press secretary in an email.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families said they are investigating the incident, along with the Ocala Police Department, but would not provide additional information.

OPD detectives said they still are working to establish a definitive timeline to include the approximate time of death and exactly when the assault occurred. They still need to interview employees and other people who were in the area at the time of the attack.

They said evidence gathered for the sexual battery charge against Love will be sent to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement laboratory for analysis and will be compared against Love's DNA.

Sanchez was admitted to The Vines on Nov. 10 because he had shown signs of bipolar symptoms and dementia.

Love, who has a history of mental illness, was admitted to the facility two days before the incident occurred.

Detective Mike Bowman's report noted that when one of the The Vines employees entered the room and saw Sanchez under the mattress, he was blue. The employee said it took several people to remove Love so they could try to revive Sanchez.

Love told Bowman the sex attack happened before he put the mattress on Sanchez. He said he noticed Sanchez's color change from white to purple to black. Love, a Marine, told the detective he had a "fire drill" and mentioned "a sniper" and said "a life was taken."

The men were discovered while employees were conducting room checks.

It is not clear how often rooms are checked or how checks are documented.

Scott Price, director of business development for The Vines, released a statement Thursday saying, "The management and staff of The Vines Hospital are deeply saddened by the loss of one of its patients and extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the patient's family. Due to strict patient confidentiality and privacy laws, the hospital is precluded from discussing specific details of any individual case. The Vines Hospital remains fully dedicated and committed to its mission of providing the highest quality of care to patients with special and sometimes difficult mental health needs."

Inspection reports from AHCA showed that in 2012, there were six complaints against the facility. Five were deemed to have no deficiencies, while one had deficiencies corrected.

There was no indication that The Vines had been subject to any fines, moratoriums or serious sanctions.

The Vines has been owned by Ocala Behavioral Health LLC since March 2008 and is a for-profit center with 48 licensed beds — 38 for adult psychiatric care and 10 for adult substance abuse. Their license expires in February 2014.

<p>A man who reportedly was assaulted by his roommate at a mental health facility late last week died of suffocation, the Medical Examiner's Office has ruled.</p><p>The incident occurred Friday at The Vines Hospital at 3130 SW 27th Ave. in Ocala. Christopher J. Love, 63, has been charged with second-degree murder and sexual battery.</p><p>Ramon Sanchez, 75, and Love were roommates at the facility. Staffers at The Vines told police that, when they did a room check, they found Love on top of a mattress on the floor. Sanchez was underneath the mattress, face down on the floor. Love told police he had sex with the victim and hurt him, according to reports.</p><p>The state Agency for Health Care Administration is looking into the case.</p><p>"We would look at systems in general. We would specifically review the systems in place for managing difficult behaviors as well as supervision, patient assessment, staff training, administrative oversight and implementation of appropriate interventions as necessary," stated a press secretary in an email.</p><p>A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families said they are investigating the incident, along with the Ocala Police Department, but would not provide additional information.</p><p>OPD detectives said they still are working to establish a definitive timeline to include the approximate time of death and exactly when the assault occurred. They still need to interview employees and other people who were in the area at the time of the attack.</p><p>They said evidence gathered for the sexual battery charge against Love will be sent to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement laboratory for analysis and will be compared against Love's DNA.</p><p>Sanchez was admitted to The Vines on Nov. 10 because he had shown signs of bipolar symptoms and dementia.</p><p>Love, who has a history of mental illness, was admitted to the facility two days before the incident occurred.</p><p>OPD received the 911 call Friday at 4:29 p.m. Sanchez was pronounced dead at Ocala Regional Medical Center at 4:57 p.m.</p><p>Detective Mike Bowman's report noted that when one of the The Vines employees entered the room and saw Sanchez under the mattress, he was blue. The employee said it took several people to remove Love so they could try to revive Sanchez.</p><p>Love told Bowman the sex attack happened before he put the mattress on Sanchez. He said he noticed Sanchez's color change from white to purple to black. Love, a Marine, told the detective he had a "fire drill" and mentioned "a sniper" and said "a life was taken."</p><p>The men were discovered while employees were conducting room checks.</p><p>It is not clear how often rooms are checked or how checks are documented.</p><p>Scott Price, director of business development for The Vines, released a statement Thursday saying, "The management and staff of The Vines Hospital are deeply saddened by the loss of one of its patients and extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the patient's family. Due to strict patient confidentiality and privacy laws, the hospital is precluded from discussing specific details of any individual case. The Vines Hospital remains fully dedicated and committed to its mission of providing the highest quality of care to patients with special and sometimes difficult mental health needs."</p><p>Inspection reports from AHCA showed that in 2012, there were six complaints against the facility. Five were deemed to have no deficiencies, while one had deficiencies corrected.</p><p>There was no indication that The Vines had been subject to any fines, moratoriums or serious sanctions.</p><p>The Vines has been owned by Ocala Behavioral Health LLC since March 2008 and is a for-profit center with 48 licensed beds — 38 for adult psychiatric care and 10 for adult substance abuse. Their license expires in February 2014.</p><p><i>Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or austin.miller@starbanner.com.</i></p>